Thursday, January 31, 2013

Already I have a Tiffin sambar recipe with moong dal in my blog, posted almost 2 years back. That’s a version. This is another version of the tiffin sambar perfect for idli. Also for dosa, arisi upma and pongal. This is my mom’s trademark recipe she makes for idli or other tiffin items when guests come. Few readers requested for this recipe. This sambar is always made with potato and shallots. It gives the maximum flavour, every ingredient complimenting each other. But you can adapt this and make it with other veggies also. Other vegetables which works best are – plain with lots of shallots (vengaya sambar), yellow pumpkin (parangikkai), drumstick and brinjal.There are few special things in this sambar – one is the freshly ground sambar powder, secondly a tsp of ghee and lastly a tsp of jaggery. These things make this sambar smell heavenly. The whole house will be filled with a pleasant smell when you make it. That too along with hot steaming idli or dosa this smells really out of this world . Though its a basic recipe, I wanted to blog this one with tips and tricks. I used to like this sambar very much before marriage when mom makes. If its this sambar, then I eat extra few idlies. And I always love to pour the sambar over the idlies like they do in hotels those days. Because we rarely go to restaurants and always fascinated by things they do there. When I was kid, me and my brother are just contrast to each other in eating habits. What I like he hate to eat and what I hate he would love to eat. Sometimes it becomes like a cold war, if he says I dont want to eat that vegetable, even though I too don’t prefer, to please my mom and to ‘verupethify’ my bro, I will eat it. And he too does that some times. And like wise, the way he eats is always very clean and neat. His plate will be looking very pleasing even while eating and after he finishes. He even makes sure his hands look neat while eating, doesn’t let the food go beyond his fingers and reach his palm (he hates if it is so and will not mind washing his hands even if it happens in between by chance). Too much right?. Obviously I am not like that. He even gives me a weird look if I ask my mom to pour the sambar over the idli. Then what I do is to mash the idlies along with sambar and make it look more like rice and eat (kozhachu adikradhu). That’s his break point. He will leave the place or just will turn his back and eat. Fun memories! Ok enough.

To roast

To Temper

Mustard - 3/4 tspJeera - 1 tspCurry leaves - 1 sprigOil - 2 tsp

Method

Pressure cook toor dal for 3-4 whistles, with 1 cup water, 2 pinches of turmeric, 2 pinches of asafoetida and few drops of sesame oil. Wash the potato well and cut into 4 and pressure cook it along with the dal. Once done, take out the potato, peel off the skin and break/ cut into bite size pieces. Mash the dal smoothly. Set aside.

Mean while, roast the ingredients under ‘To roast’ table. You can roast everything together. But except jeera/ cumin seeds, which has to be added towards the end when the other ingredients gets the golden colour. Take care not to burn anything. So roast in medium flame with constant roasting. If anything gets burnt, the total dish will not turn out that good as this is the star ingredient!

Cool down and powder into a coarse powder. In between powdering, you might need to wipe the sides, lid of the mixer for even powdering. Set aside.

In a kadai, heat oil and temper with the items given under ‘To temper table’. Add half of the asafoetida and give a quick stir. Add onions and fry till transparent.Add tomatoes, green chillies and fry for 1 or 2 minutes.

Extract tamarind juice from the tamarind(soak in warm water for 10 –20 mins for easy extract). Dilute it and make it 3 cups of it and add start heating in a large bowl. Add the fried onion, tomato to it. Now add few torn curry leaves, coriander leaves, salt, turmeric, rest of the asafoetida and bring to boil. Then add the potatoes.

Boil for 2 minutes and add the sambar powder. Add it in a sprinkled way little by little with constant stirring to avoid any lump formation. Let it boil. Then add the mashed dal. If the dal is too tight, add more water to loosen it before adding it to sambar.

Now after adding the ground sambar powder and dal, the sambar tends to thicken. So you might be needed to add some 3/4 cup to 1 cup water to bring it to the right consistency. So once it starts boiling, as a final touch add the powdered jaggery and mix well. Top with few more torn coriander leaves or curry leaves. Switch off the flame.

Notes

This sambar should be with less tamarind, unlike our regular sambar. The tomato will give mild tanginess that is not sharp, perfect for the tiffin items.

We usually top with sesame oil for extra flavour.

Smells great even the next day

Serve with idli/ dosa or any tiffin items which goes well with sambar. I always love to have it along with plaincoconut chutney andidli podi.

In fact I have tried the other one with moongdal last week which turned out to be a winner at my home..This too I will try..Always wanted to get a perfect Tamil recipe for sambar..Thank you so much Raks.

Hi, just want to know if u have made arsi upma. If so can u pls post the recipe. Me and the kids luv upma except hubby boy. I also would like to let u know that our family enjoyed the eggless vanilla cake and today I made the tomato kulambu for dinner(yet tobe tasted but the aroma is just delis).Thank u for ur recipes.Eswari

My sis always says if her eldest son like a certain dish then the youngest one don't like because the brother likes and vise versa too and you and your brother sounds like them, when i saw this in flickr i had faved it as i wanted to make them too. Looks so good.

Awesome recipe....tried it out todayand was winner.....have been looking a sambar recipe for idly, dosa, up a and other tiffin items....thanks a lot for posting the recipe....waiting to see more lovely recipes from u.

I had gone your total fan. Actually I consider myself to be a good cook of tranditional items. I have a practice of keeping only "Samaithu Par" by meenakshi ammal as bible. I do not refer anyother receipe. Yours is the second reference I have now.

Hey Raji, Ur recipes are awesome. I really feel like zopping it from ur perfect pics. Following your recipes from long time but never had commented. Thanks a lot for giving us a wonderful set of recipes.

I prepared the Sambar today.I had a question though. In Step6,you have mentioned that "Boil for 2 minutes and add the sambar powder"..Hope this is the same Sambar powder that we have prepared in Step3 ie grounded mixture prepared in the Mixie..Please confirm.

I love this site. The cooking technique are so practical, along with the pic stepwise that one can never go wrong. I have tried noodles, chili paneer, lemon rice, coconut chutney, and now tiffin samber. Thank you so much Raks :).

Hi Raks,If anybody tells you that they're the biggest fan of your sambar, they're clearly lying because I am THE BIGGEST fan! I make this all the time and I usually have to double the recipe for two of us cuz our idlis are usually swimming in the sambar! Thank you so much for such a winner of a recipe!